Haddin's unselfish praise of Wade, who came under criticism in the second Test against South Africa for dropping a catch and missing a stumping chance, comes as Australia undergo further regeneration following the retirement of Ricky Ponting.

Wade bounced back with a half-century in the first innings in Perth that saved Australia from an embarrassing total, but South Africa nevertheless romped to victory and a 1-0 series win.

Haddin said he could do little other than work hard to regain a place in the Test team.

"I've had a good run. I think Matthew Wade is doing an outstanding job. The critics after the Adelaide Test match were a bit harsh," News.com.au quoted Haddin, as saying.

"He is playing some very good cricket, and he has been improving at a rapid rate over the past 12 months. From that point of view, Cricket Australia is in very good hands with Matthew," he added.

"All I can do is continually challenge myself at training to be a better cricketer. All the other stuff takes care of itself," he said.

Haddin leads the Sydney Sixers in their Big Bash title defence opener against Sydney Thunder on Saturday night at the SCG. (ANI)